transport logistic 2019

••• 10••• Messewelten The air cargo industry is undergoing a lot of changes on account of a number of trends. Photo: Dieter Schütz / pixelio.de Researching alternative drives Latest air cargo chain developments at air cargo Europe 2019 M ore stringent requirements in terms of climate protection, the in- creasing importance of e-commerce and the shortage of skilled professionals are some of the major challenges facing the global air cargo industry. Artificial intelli- gence, further automation and the Internet of Things represent solu- tions. However, the industry is also researching alternative drives. Air cargo Europe, held during transport logistic in Munich, is the world’s largest air cargo trade fair. More than 220 companies from over 40 countries will be exhibit- ing over approx. 15,000 square metres of trade fair space. “We are thrilled that we have managed to attract even more important players in the air cargo industry,” says Stefan Rummel, Managing Di- rector of Messe München. Fraud detection “The use of AI is the logical conse- quence of progressive digitalization in the air cargo industry,” explains Prof. Dr. Joachim Ehrenthal from the Univer- sity of Applied Sciences and Arts North- western Switzerland and contributor for the open discussion entitled “Artifi- cial Intelligence: Next Level Air Cargo?”. Through the “exchange of views and information on specific applications,” Ehrenthal intends to bring the topic of artificial intelligence “down to earth”. AI is already deployed throughout the air cargo chain, for example for projec- tions, optical process monitoring, vehi- cle maintenance, the packing of contain- ers and fraud detection. Computational intelligence processes are often com- patible with air cargo requirements. These are understood to be processes inspired by nature, for example such as artificial neural networks and swarm in- telligence. The focus is always on data and the automated use of the data. “We need to get the data to really take off. By this I mean that existing data grave- yards need to be activated and convert- ed into operational decision-making sys- tems,” summarizes Ehrenthal. Dr. Harald Sieke, Head of the Aviation Logistics department of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), confirms this viewpoint: “AI will be deployed throughout the entire air cargo transport chain. The most prom- ising opportunities relate to bookings, reservations and cargo organization for plane loading.” AI will also cause mar- ket shifts as some players will reposi- tion themselves and others will leave the market altogether. Another trend is that e-commerce, which is experiencing strong growth, has for years been lead- ing to smaller and smaller shipments, including even individual items, being sent. “This focus on smaller units will increase primarily in international e- commerce, which is a very important segment for the air cargo industry,” predicts Sieke. Customers also want to be able to track shipments from end to end as seamlessly as possible. Cargo iQ, an initiative of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is therefore designed to contribute to process control, quality control and service improvement. Trend towards automated systems The shortage of skilled profes- sionals is also expediting the trend for automated systems both in terms of handling and transportation of air cargo. At the same time, “up to five per cent of air cargo will no longer be needed on account of 3D and 4D print- ing,” estimates Sieke. However, if you compare this figure with ex- pected annual growth in air cargo, then “the effects of these types of technol- ogy should be seen as negligible”. On the other hand, the Internet of Things will have a much greater impact”. In the future, shipments will find their own way through the air cargo network,” says the scientist. In five to ten years, current intensive research on this will be tangibly felt in practice. The air cargo industry is already making a multi-faceted contribution to climate protection, from the electrification of ground traffic right through to solar in- stallations for buildings. Of course, the sustainability of aircraft as a means of transport needs to be improved as a whole. The European Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative (JTI), for example, is striving to achieve this goal. “Up to five per cent of air cargo will no longer be needed on account of 3D and 4D printing,” Dr. Eng. Harald Sieke, Head of the Aviation Logistics depart- ment, Fraunhofer IML says. Photo: Fraunhofer IML Algorithmen gegen Fachkr ftemangel Die Digitalisierung von Lieferket- ten und internen Prozessen, künstliche Intelligenz (KI) sowie das autonome Fahren und Dispo- nieren gehören zu den Trend-The- men, denen sich die Logistikbran- che stellen muss. Auch hier bieten sich Lösungen im Kampf gegen den zunehmenden Mangel an Fachkräften, wobei es speziell um Lkw-Fahrer und Disponenten geht. Für die Logistikbranche bie- tet KI weit mehr als nur eine reine Optimierung des bestehenden Be- triebs. Lieferketten werden durch KI steuerbarer und transparenter. „KI ermöglicht vorausschauendes Handeln, wie zum Beispiel in den Bereichen Kapazitätsmanage- ment, Routenplanung, Netzwerk- planung und Risikomanagement“, erklärt die Brüssler Logistikexper- tin Sara Van Gelder. Zudem kön- nen „Angebote genauer auf die Bedürfnisse des Kunden ausge- richtet werden, während die Lo- gistik zum integrierten Bestand- teil einer automatisierten und hochflexiblen industriellen Pro- duktion und des Handels wird“, erläutert Tim Schneider, der beim Bundesverband Spedition und Lo- gistik DSLV die Themen Prozesse, Standards und Digitalisierung ver- antwortet. „Es gilt, Daten zu tei- len und als wertvolle Informati- onsquelle zu verstehen“, so Schneider weiter. Dabei spiele die Informationsbereitstellung in Echtzeit eine entscheidende Rol- le, betont der Experte. Impressum transport logistic 2019 Verlag: CONNEX Print & Multimedia AG Große Packhofstraße 27/28 30159 Hannover Telefon: +49 511 830936 Telefax: +49 511 56364608 E-Mail: connex@die-messe.de Internet: www.die-messe.de Auflage IVW-geprüft. Auflagengruppe: K Redaktion: Martin Braun, Cyrus Salimi-Asl Verantwortlich für den Anzeigenteil: Tina Wedekind Druck: Druckzentrum Neckar-Alb, 72764 Reutlingen MESSEJOURNAL DIE MESSE